From Our Correspondent
MAWKYRWAT, Dec 23: The Hill Farmer Union (HFU) has rejected the National Statistical Office (NSO) survey which stated that the farmers from Meghalaya earn the highest average monthly income in India, putting the state ahead of farming-rich Punjab and Haryana. The union told the state government not to be proud of the survey claiming that it is ‘not true’.
The data, revealed in Lok Sabha in a reply in regard with farmer’s income, claimed that the farmers from Meghalaya earned about Rs 29,000 per month, while those from Punjab and Haryana earned a little over Rs 26,000 and Rs 22,000 respectively.
The data is from the NSO survey on Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households and Land and Livestock Holdings of households in the rural areas of the country, which pertains to the year 2019.
Speaking to media persons, president of the HFU, Commander Shangpliang, said that after seeing the claims made by the government in Lok Sabha, the HFU, in all meetings with the farmers from Ri-Bhoi, Jaintia Hills, East, West and South West Khasi Hills, had enquired about the survey and its findings as well as the average monthly income of the farmers. The union stated that the data is not true.
“As a Union, we cannot accept this survey because according to our assessment, majority of the farmers in Meghalaya earns not more than Rs 10,000 per month. Recently we had a meeting with the farmers from Rangblang area, South West Khasi Hills and they told us that for them to get Rs 29,000, it takes a year and this shows that our farmers earned very less,” Shangpliang said, adding that the Union would be very proud if the data was true, but it is not, even as he claimed that he had no knowledge of who gives the revenue.
Calling the state government wrong to talk highly about this survey in any event or function, Shangpliang said, “The union wanted to send this message to the government that it should not feel proud of the survey, because it is not true”.
Suggesting a pathway to improve farmers’ earnings, the union president said that the state government should increase the budget allocation to the Department of Agriculture, and not only focus on one product.